First Peoples’ Gathering House Opens at SFU on Burnaby Mountain

by Rebecca Bollwitt Friday, September 12th, 2025 — 10:38am PDT

Today, Simon Fraser University (SFU) celebrated the grand opening of First Peoples’ Gathering House at its Burnaby Mountain campus with traditional ceremony and cultural performances from host First Nations: xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) and kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem).

The 15,000-square-foot longhouse building was designed through extensive collaboration with the four host nations and SFU’s Indigenous students, faculty and staff.

First Peoples’ Gathering House Opens on Burnaby Mountain - SFU Photos — First Peoples’ Gathering House Opens on Burnaby Mountain – SFU Photos Submitted

First Peoples’ Gathering House – SFU on Burnaby Mountain

The $25-million longhouse will transform the Indigenous experience at SFU as a new space for Indigenous students, staff, faculty and communities to come together to practise, learn and share in their cultural traditions.

Funding was provided by the Province of British Columbia ($11.4 million), SFU ($8.6 million), and the City of Burnaby ($5 million). Architecture and design was by Urban Arts Architecture Inc and construction by Scott Construction Group.

The largest space within the building is the Great Hall, which can accommodate up to 300 people. Overlooking the hall are house posts from each of the four host nations on whose unceded traditional territories SFU’s Burnaby campus resides.

SFU’s campus was designed so that it deviates 13.3 degrees off the cardinal east-west axis. While most of the House aligns with this orientation, the Great Hall deliberately breaks from conformity as it faces true east, honouring Coast Salish tradition and marking a symbolic reckoning between old and new.

First Peoples’ Gathering House Opens on Burnaby Mountain - Aerial - SFU Photo Submitted — Aerial View – SFU Photo Submitted

Decades of Advocacy to Get Here

“It’s just truly inspiring and empowering to finally be standing in this space that we have all dreamed of for so many years,” says Chris (Syeta’xtn) Lewis, Indigenous executive lead at SFU.

“This is a place where our Indigenous students, faculty and staff can come and rejuvenate their spirit and connect with each other in ways that we haven’t been able to thus far. It’s a home-away-from-home, a place where people can feel safe to be who they are and express their traditions and customs.”

Construction of the building began in April 2023, but Lewis says decades of advocacy have led to this moment.

“It’s important to recognise the people who began advocating for an Indigenous space on our campus more than 20 years ago. It’s because of their efforts that this beautiful building stands proudly in the heart of our community,” he says.

The project addresses a call to action in SFU’s 2017 Walk this Path with Us Report to “reinvigorate long-delayed plans for creating a culturally appropriate ceremonial hall and space”.

The opening of the House, in the year that SFU celebrates its 60th anniversary, marks an important milestone in SFU’s journey towards upholding Truth and Reconciliation, according to Joy Johnson, SFU president and vice-chancellor.

“Upholding Truth and Reconciliation has been a priority at this university for a number of years, but to have people walk down the ceremonial walkway and see this building is a wonderful example of really bringing our commitments to life,” Johnson says.

“That being said – this is an important milestone on the journey, not the end of the journey. We have a lot of work ahead of us, with host nations, with Indigenous students, faculty and staff and with community members, partners and government, to continue to uphold Truth and Reconciliation.”

More than 920 Indigenous students are currently enrolled at SFU. Along with Indigenous faculty and staff, they will be able to use the House for ceremonial events, cultural learning, celebrations, workshops and classes.

It will also be a place where non-Indigenous people can come to learn about Truth and Reconciliation, decolonization and Indigenization.